Remembering, In April
by MissVin
Summary: It's been 10 years since the world was blessed with hearing Kaori's call to the pigeons. As she waits on the shimmering expanse of water to once again see if he'll truly play for her... She awaits to really know if he remembers her.
1. Ten Years, Such a Long Time

**Been working on this story for a while, I'll try to keep up with it as much as I can. With summer coming around, I'll be able to post a lot more! Reviews are welcomed and loved, especially because this is my first Y.L.I.A. story. Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or the show, Your Lie In April. Simply just a lover of the story, wanting to keep it going!**

-10 Years Later-

Kousei shot up from bed, a trickle of sweat beading down from his temple. The king sized bed was empty, the pillow still dented from her head. The comforter had been thrown off her side, all bunched up on his side. No wonder he had been sweating. All the blankets piled on him, plus Spring was just here.

 _Spring._

 _April._

Ten years. It had been ten whole years since the light of his life flew away in the dead of night, to a shimmering expanse of water where he wouldn't be able to find her, even when he performed. Ten years ago… He could still hear her playing for the pigeons. His sulking was interrupted by a yell from downstairs.

"Kousei, is that you?"

"Yeah, hun. Just got up!"

"Get down here, then!"

Kousei got into a plain blue shirt, not exactly matching his black plaid pajama pants, but it was good enough for just some breakfast. The digital clock on his nightstand said it was 10:34 A.M., which was a reasonable hour for a Sunday morning, and for him in general. His bouts of insomnia only got worse with age, even though he wasn't that old still.

As soon as he left their room, he could smell what she wanted him to come down for. Cinnamon and honey greeted him, as well as the sounds of evenly-timed chopping of fruits on the cutting board they got as a wedding present. He could recognize the sound from upstairs, because she only used it when she made big meals. What was she planning, and why?

He made his way down the stairs, tripping on the last step as he hadn't put on his glasses yet. There she was, her thin frame faced away from him, and at the sink. He was right, too, when she saw fresh strawberries on the cutting board on the center island.

She had heard him stumble off the last step, despite the fact that the sink had been running. "I was washing your glasses, because I knew you got fingerprints on them last night. You were up quite late, Kousei. I get worried."

She turned around, holding the black glasses he donned, these days. The thin frames could always be held accountable for being smudged with fingerprints, in which only she had the delicate fingers to wash.

"Thank you, Emi. You don't have to worry about me, you know. I just turned 24, I know how to deal with my time. Though, I'm sorry if I kept you up from the piano. I was just testing out a few new ways to play-"

He stopped when he felt a sharp stab on his right foot. It was punctured by that damn cat when she decided to play with the hem of his pants. Emi giggled, getting a paper towel and running it under warm water from the sink. "Kitty… You have practically a castle of a scratch-house for you, and yet you choose Kousei's pants."

She handed him his glasses and the paper towel, after he sat down at one of the chairs at the breakfast bar. He pressed hard on the 'wound', to stop the bleeding. That bugger. At least the cat made up for it by being cute.

Emi picked up the conversation, leaning on the counter to be closer to him. Her long hair barely touched the top of the marble when she leaned over, her bangs hanging over her eyebrows. Her eyes danced with amusement.

"So, you were talking about how you manage your time, were you? Because, hun, I don't think you remember that time that yo-"

"STOP!"

"-u stayed up until 4 A.M. watching your favorite reality T.V. show, with school the next day. Or, rather, that day."

"I was 16! You can't blame me…"

"It was a show about the most useless celebrities who are pretty much famous, for being famous."

"Ugh… Could, that wondrous smell that has been flowing around this house be on my plate to cheer me up?"

"Cheer you up? What happened?"

Kousei realized that _she didn't know_. She knew about Kaori, obviously, and she knew that she had passed… But she didn't know about what was such a special part about April. It had been ten years ago, today, April 6th, when he saw her. He didn't want his wife knowing that he still thought about her. At least when he was a kid, he learned how to hide his emotions.

"Oh, just about you teasing me."

Emi rolled her eyes with a smirk, standing up from the counter. She scooped up a piece of honey-drenched french toast from their plug in skillet. After she put a couple of strawberries on the side of the plate, he met her halfway with a side hug. He kissed her forehead, taking the plate from her. He stuffed his face with the toast as soon as he sat back down, watching as she kept that smirk when she looked at him.

"What'cha smiling about? Did you poison it?"

"No… I just…"

"What _are_ you planning, anyways? Usually I make breakfast."

She bit a piece of dead skin on the corner of her lip, looking like she was contemplating something. Her chin turned down, as did her eyes.

" _You're looking down again."_

"You're looking down again, Emi. What is it?"

She looked up at him, mirth in her eyes. "Wouldn't you like to know?" She asked. He only nodded, as his mouth was full of strawberries. She took a deep breath, sliding her hands out on the counter to make an 'A' shape, her head being the top of it.

"I was thinking… Kousei… We've been married three years, now. Dating for eight. I think we're ready now, with enough trust, and funds… To have a family."

Kousei nearly choked as he was swallowing his bite of food. _That's_ what she made breakfast for.

"Emi…"

"I did all the math. We'd be able to keep this house, and everything. We could still use a portion of the money to send to Seto, as well as-"

"I didn't say no. I think… We're ready. Right? We're both 24 now. Wait any longer and we'll be 60 by the time they're 10."

Emi looked up at him, her reddish-brown eyes smiling more than her lips. The cat jumped up on the counter, looking at him, too.

 _You're just going to mess it up, more than I did. The poor child will be stuck with an aggressive woman for a mother, as well as a father who walks away from them. The kid will make his own meals, his only saving grace being that he can play an instrument. That's what will happen, and you know it._

He snapped back to reality, just as he could've sworn the cat's eyes changed from their normal blue to a sickly green for a split second.

"Kousei, are you okay? You look sick… We don't have to if you don't want too… I understand."

He looked at her, and saw the light escape from her eyes. He wasn't the only one that wanted this, and he knew that. They were the power couple, taking top spots in the adult league of their piano competitions, as well as just being adorable in Seto's eyes.

"No, Emi. I want this. I really do. You'd be the best mother out there, and I'll be with you for every step. I won't leave your side. I promise."

He must've sounded a bit too astute, as she looked scared for a second. He realized he had pent up air in his chest. Letting it out with a nod of his head, he blinked a few times. "I really, really do. I love you, Emi. You know that. I'll support you with anything."

She ran around the breakfast bar, hugging him tightly. She wrapped her arms around his neck, digging her nose under his jaw. Her bangs tickled his ears as he stood up from his chair to wrap his arms around her waist. He kissed the top of her head, looking back at the cat.

" _Kaori just wanted me to be happy, and this is what would make me happy. Fixing the things my own mother couldn't. I won't mess this up. I can't mess this up."_

The cat licked it's black paw, before leaping off the counter to go and wander to who knows where.


	2. Chopin's Ballade

Chapter Two

Emi woke up that next morning, and Kousei was already in the shower. He was up a lot earlier than usual… It was 7:30 in the morning. This was almost always Emi's time to herself, to get ready for the day. By the time she was satisfied with herself, Kousei was up and making breakfast.

It had taken a while for her once they moved in together for her to get her new schedule. She needed that schedule to not feel self-conscious about herself around him.

She wrapped the comforter around herself, yawning. Looking at the calendar across the room, mentally taking a photo of all the different events for the next month. Despite it only being the 28th, Kousei already tore down April. She saw it wadded up in the trash.

"Kousei! You _know_ we have a recycling!" She yelled at him, so he could hear it. She threw off all her blankets, on to his side per usual. She marched over, getting the paper out of the trash. Jokingly, she added, "You're the reason we're going to die in a mound of trash!" He only made a loud "Hmph." in response.

She unwrapped the paper, making sure there wasn't any more dates between here and May 1st. Of course, she had memorized the calendar last month, with it's tacky pink-blossomed trees on the page, but she just wanted to be sure.

The shower turned off, but she didn't make any attempt to move. She was staring at new writing on the calendar, in the nice blue pen she had got for Kousei to edit his piano pages. The entire page had frantically written notes about it. The top of it had been torn down, the corner of it still a bit wet from salty tears.

She recognized the notes…

Chopin's Ballade No. 1 in G Minor, Op 23. She could close her eyes and hear it, still in it's same vibrant colors as she had remembered hearing it on the television. She had thought she had outdone it with her performance of Winter Wind. The tears on the edge of her chin at the end of his performance proved otherwise. She smiled down at it.

She guessed he thought the same way about it too, considering the wet corner of the page. It was the best he had played, in such a long time. It was when he was finally back. His competition only rose from there, somehow rising his skills but still making it sound his own. When she was 14, she had thought her performance of Winter Wind had inspired him. Maybe it had.

The bathroom door opened, and he jumped at the sight of her.

"I-I didn't know you were up…"

"You didn't hear me talking about the paper in the trash? I thought you had responded to me."

"What? I was humming."

He looked down from her eyes, seeing the calendar in her hand. He stilled. She continued on, smiling down at it like she knew some secret. She knew that he had been crying over Kaori last night…

"I still remember this! It was a fantastic performance, really. Brought tears to my eyes. I'm happy you ended up going out there."

She looked up at him, seeing that he looked troubled. "Are you okay, Kousei?" He then turned away, getting clothes from the dresser. His back was hunched, almost as much as it is when he sits down at the piano. "Fine."

Not sure that that statement was true, she skid her feet on the carpet to walk over to him. She wrapped him in a hug, tucking her head on his back so that she could get changed. "That was the day… I fell in love with you."

He didn't react, except for his breathing halting for half a second longer. "I still remember that red dress. It was gorgeous. Is that still around?" He got on his pants, turning around to hug her. Always hugging, always forehead kissing. That was their thing. She knew that's what he was comfortable with, and she always let him be the one to push it. It's why is was such a touchy subject to ask about a child.

"Oh, maybe with my mom. I don't think it would fit anymore. I was a lot smaller, then."

She could feel him smile in her hair. "You're still not big, or anything. You're like a little, porcelain doll. No need to think like that, hun. Perfect just the way you are."

Shaking her head on his bare chest, she muffled, "I'm not talking about that. I'm saying that I'm no longer a 32a." He was already warm from his shower, but she could feel him heat up a bit. "Oh, we're _married_. You don't need to freak," laughing into his warmth.

He kissed her head. "I know, and I'm happy that we are. Took me 8 freaking years." Emi felt him grab the calendar page from her hands. "Why don't you play that? Right now? For me?" She begged under his hug.

"I don't know if you'd like it. It's been a long time,"

"Oh hush! You're a great player. C'mon."

He sighed. "For you, yeah. I just have to clean up in there." She retracted herself from the hug, picking out a shirt for him. Throwing it at his head, she walked off towards the piano room. "You get dressed! I _know_ those pants are dirty, I do the wash. Get ready for real, I'll go clean up."

Wanting to protest, he took a step forwards, but realized she'd be too stubborn. He got changed, putting on a new pair of pants from the bottom of his drawer, and put on the shirt she got for him. Knowing Emi as he did, he figured she'd be in the hallway bathroom, "Getting my face on," as she says. He went downstairs, starting a cup of coffee.

Emi walked in the room, her hands on her hair, pinning her bangs back with a twist. She put her mascara down on the table in the hallway, knowing she'd have to use both hands to clean up. But she wasn't prepared for this. She'd need _eight_ hands to clean this up. Papers were strewn about, his trophies knocked down. She blinked.

At this point, she knew not to question it. His sporadic bouts of creativity usually came with a mess. Rolling up the sleeves on her shirt, she began to pick it up. The room was… An organized chaos. It was like a puzzle piece, every item having a place to go, but there was a lot of items. Certificates, pictures, trophies, piano pieces, boxes, books. The like. Currently, almost everything in the room was turned over or around. Papers on the floor.

He hadn't gone around, knocking things down. He'd done what he usually does, but more drastic. Typically, he turned the trophies from his early childhood around, but now… It was everything. From when he was 4, to 24. The papers only fell on the floor when he was reaching over the stacks to turn it around to hide the plaque.

The coffee maker beeped by the time she was mostly done. She'd missed a few of the trophies, because she knew which ones he couldn't stand but Seto made him keep. She looked through the cabinet folders, finding the papers. She ended up finding it on the stand, his red pen making chicken scratch on the sides. Spreading them out with a light smile, he entered the room with two mugs of hot coffee.

"Yes, I put enough sugar in yours to give you a life of diabetes."

She scrunched her nose with a closed mouth grin, a sign of acknowledgement. They'd learned each other's mannerisms a long while ago, meaning most of their thank-you's went unsaid. He didn't say a word about what he'd done last night with the room, and he was glad she didn't either. Sitting down next to her, she grabbed the coffee from his hands. She took a sip, pulling her legs criss-cross on the chair with her. She held his coffee in her lap.

Her knee was half on his thigh as he placed his hands over the keys. He didn't look at the pages set out before him.

Lowering his fingers, he saw out of the corner of his eyes, Emi closing hers. The first powerful note on the piece instantly drew his attention to the piano, drowning everything else out. He wanted to reach the place he did last night.

He continued on with the next few notes, each one getting a bit higher and lighter. The small, five-count rest let him decide how he was going to play the rest of this. Was he going to play it for Emi? Or for _her_?

That almost wasn't even a question, at this point.

With one more note, his mind vanished into the expanse of water. The next five minutes would be filled with his very soul, waiting to see if she'd ever show up again.

 **A.N.: Sorry about the short chapters so far, will be much longer as soon as I get out of school! Will also be more frequent with the chapters once I'm out.**

 **I am LOVING the feedback so far, and will greatly appreciate more!**


	3. Spilled Coffee

**I'M ALIVE! I know it's been a while, but SUMMER IS HERE! Thank you all for the feedback! I'm working on a lot of chapters, hopefully I'll make up for lost time.**

 **Still don't own the show or the characters (thus far), blah blah blah...**

Kaori didn't show up. The only thing that moved was his hands and his eyes, scanning the horizon. Nothing else.

He finished the song, and he didn't even notice Emi had been leaning on his shoulder until his mind escaped the water expanse. She had her eyes closed, and she looked so peaceful…

He felt guilty. Not even playing for his wife, but his first love from _ten_ years ago. At that point he didn't he know the meaning of love.

Emi's eyes opened, her pupils shrinking at the light from the room. Kousei was staring at her, which made her blush. "Whatcha staring at?"

Kousei didn't know what he was looking at. Was it truly his love? But if she wasn't his love, who was it? Kaori? That would be childish. He faltered responding, and he hoped she didn't notice.

"My beautiful wife."

She grinned at him, and he kissed her forehead. Why was he second guessing himself? He _loved_ Emi. Insensitive as it was, he shouldn't let a dead girl get in the way. Right?

Putting the coffee cups up on the piano, Emi turned her body towards him. Her hand cupped his jaw, and it was like the air in Kousei's lungs were stuck. Leaning in towards him, he ended up closing the gap.

He kissed her. On the lips. It shouldn't seem like such an accomplishment to a married couple, but _Kousei_ started the kiss. Or, somewhat. Kousei always had to be the one to tip the iceberg, to let Emi know it was okay if she went on. That was almost never.

She took her chance. Her hands found their way to his hair, pulling him closer. Feeling his hands slink around her waist, she knew she was happy taking this chance. She was pushing it, instead of him. First asking about kids, then this. It was as if their roles were changing, ever since that fateful day at the start of April.

It was as if she expected him to follow through. Kousei always had the nagging thought that he was holding her back. That he couldn't give her what others could. This time, he had to continue. He had to give her that for once. He could hardly kiss her most of the time without cringing softly. It never had anything to do with her, of course, just the thought that his lips never got to touch…

The doorbell rang.

Both of them jumped, and Kousei's knee hit the bottom of the piano, sending one of the coffee mugs toppling over. The coffee washed over the pages like a river, and his words on the side would no longer have their meaning. He didn't even care that the piano keys would be sticky for a month.

Emi quickly stood up to grab a towel, but he grabbed her wrist. "You can go get the door, I'll clean up." His eyes were locked on the pages, all his movements seeming sluggish. Blinking his eyes a few times, he turned his head towards her. "Don't worry about it, okay?" Offering a smile to her, Emi gave a quick nod.

Before she made it out of the doorway, she snuck a look. The piano pages were in his hands, with him practically swooning over them. Emi shook it off, just heading to get the door.

The cat was sitting by the door once she got to the bottom of the stairs, like a guard. He was licking his one black paw, before looking up at Emi. His eyes were like daggers, staring into her. It was as if they almost turned green.

The doorbell rang again, and the cat sauntered away. Shrugging it off, she hurried over to the door. With a few clicks, a woman with brown hair fell in. Apparently, she had been leaning against the door, since she was now on the ground.

"Oh! Are you okay…?"

The woman nodded, but her hand slipped out from under her as she was trying to get up. Emi managed to catch her luckily, and help her up. The woman's hair hung over her eyes, and she brought up a bony hand to push it away.

As much as Emi hated to say stuff about people, she looked awful. Dark circles worse than Kousei's lived under her eyes, laughter lines that seemed as if they haven't been stretched in years, and a perpetual state of her eyebrows being pulled together. Her clothes seemed to sag off her shoulders, trying to get away from her sad aura.

"I-Is… Does Kousei live here?" She asked, her voice like gravel. Her hands closed around the strap on her bag, turning her knuckles white.

Emi couldn't stand to watch her knees shake. Her hand closed around the woman's, and she pulled her in to close the door. It was raining buckets outside. She hoped that April's showers wouldn't continue into May.

"Yes, he does. I'm his wife, Emi Arima. He's just upstairs, if you'd like me to get hi-"

"NO! No, I can't… I can't look at him…" Her eyes were cast on the floor, and she pulled her bag off her shoulder as she shuffled her way over to sit down on one of the chairs at the breakfast bar.

"Ma'am, are you alright?" Emi asked, leaning down to look at her eyes. The woman looked up, right at her.

"I'm Ryouko Miyazono, Mrs. Arima… K-Ka… K-Kaor… Kaori's mother. Kousei and her were d-dear friends… She wanted me… To give him this." Her bony hands fell in her bag, and she pulled out a melodica. Putting it on the counter, she gave the most depressed sigh Emi had ever heard.

"T-Ten years… After she was… No longer…" Her breath seemed stuck in her mouth. Emi watched in horror as she let out a sob. "She wanted me to give him this." Ryouko nodded her head towards the melodica.

"I would've given it sooner had I not had to go on a wild goose chase to find Arima… Gosh. I didn't expect to ever say those words again." She stifled a small laugh, the corner of her mouth perking up ever so slightly.

"Mrs. Miyazono… I'll be sure to give it to him. You don't need to worry about that, oka-"

Someone stumbled down the steps, and Emi knew the cat wasn't rubbing his glasses on his shirt. Kousei looked up, blinking a few times, before putting on his glasses and taking a sharp inhale.

"Ryouko?"

"Kousei, you really shouldn't right now…"

Ryouko got up, seeming to push herself back to the door before stopping. The sound of squeaky shoes vibrated through the house as she pivoted herself back around to face Kousei. He looked almost devastated to see Mrs. Miyazono in this state.

Emi didn't understand what was going on as Ryouko rushed over to give Kousei a hug. Her arms wrapped around him, and she already was bawling. Kousei gaped at her, before wrapping her arms around the woman with a slight hesitation.

Red patched grew under his eyes, but he wouldn't cry. Not until she was gone. A mother who loses a child is never the same, and people around them breaking down doesn't help. Emi watched helplessly as Ryouko withdrew herself, heading out the door without another word.

Kousei's shirt had a ring of water around it from where her raincoat had wrapped around him, and a smaller patch of water from her tears were farther up. His eyes fell on Emi as she held the melodica, her gaze sympathetic.

His feet dragged along the wood floors as he made his way over to her. She held out the melodica, expecting him to take it, but he just pushed past it to pull her head to his chest.

"Never, ever, ever leave this world. We've already lost so many stars."

 **Thank you all for reading! Hopefully I'll be back soon with another chapter, since I have so many ideas for the next few chapters. Feedback and suggestions are always loved, and know that I read -all- of them. Your support helps me to keep writing!**


	4. Father

**See, I told you I was back! I've been rewatching YLIA, and all the feels are coming back… I'd bet this can come with even better chapters /wink wink/. I know last chapter was super short, but upcoming ones should be longer.**

 **Still don't own -some- of the characters in this chapter, and I'm not even close to being as creative to have owned the show/manga.**

 _Two Years Earlier_

"Naoki, stop it! Kousei is great, and you know it! Just because you have to 'give your little sister away' doesn't mea- Dad, seriously! Those flowers were a fortune… MOTHER!"

Emi was standing in the doorway of her parent's house, holding her dress in it's black sleeve. Everyone was piling the decorations in her brother's van, and Naoki was being awfully careless. He just wasn't happy about her getting married before him, despite him being five years her elder.

But she was happy. She was beaming, actually. Despite her having to give these directions, and make sure everything was right, she couldn't be more elated. Today, she was finally tying the knot.

People all around her were bustling about, getting everything into their assigned cars. She'd even told all the neighbors to make sure their cars weren't in the street to make room. Tables were being shoved into cars that were way too small to be carrying all this stuff, stacks of streamers- the nice kind, from downtown- taking up entire seats, and an entire car dedicated to the flowers.

Her other brother, Yasu, walked up to her. He was quite a bit more happy than Naoki for this whole situation. Yasu had stopped threatening Kousei a couple of years ago with the "I swear, if you hurt her!", while Naoki was still a bit skeptical.

"You ready, sis? Marriage is a bit step, you know." Yasu said, showing off his pearly white teeth with every word. Emi always envied him for that.

"Of course I'm ready! By this time tomorrow… I'll have a different name, even. Kousei… He's been my everything, for the past eight years… You think this is the right choice, right?"

Yasu let out a hearty laugh. "You said it yourself. Someone who's been your everything, for what I'd suspect is even more than eight years, is a right choice."

She blushed up like a cherry. "I… I didn'-"

"Sis, we all knew. When Arima showed back up after two years of no performances, and you lit up like a firework… We knew."

Emi let out a light hearted sigh. "Fine, fine. You're right. I really, really love him. This is our big day!"

 _Meanwhile_

"Father, are you sure your plane won't make it…?" Kousei asked, through Tsubaki's phone. She'd made him leave it at home, no distractions for his big day. He sat on the front step of a hotel they'd all been staying at the previous night.

"I'm sorry, kid. We've got a big client coming in… I canceled my plane anyways."

Kousei gripped the phone so hard, he could've sworn he cracked Tsubaki's phone case.

"O-Okay… We'll see you soon, right?"

His father didn't respond to this. The only sound for ten seconds was the door swinging open behind him, and their footsteps as they came to sit next to Kousei.

Watari on his left, Tsubaki on his right. He supposed there was no room for his father, anyways.

"Tell Ryōta and Sawabe I say hello."

And with that, his right ear only contained the echo of his father hanging up. He stared straight forwards, letting his hand fall to Tsubaki's lap. His grip loosened on the phone, and she pried it from his fingers.

"Don't worry about him, Kousei. You've got my parents, Watari's, and Emi's, even Takeshi will be there. You don't need Takahiko."

Not even Tsubaki considered him as Kousei's father.

 _Now_

Emi rolled over, shaking him awake. His phone was driving her insane.

"Who the hell is calling this early?!" She whisper-screamed.

Kousei had wrapped his pillow around his head, curling up into a little ball. "Just ignore it. Really."

Seven-A.M. wasn't early for Emi, but anyone who knew Kousei enough to have his number should know that this wasn't an easy hour for him.

With a grunt, Emi pushed herself out of the warm protection that was the comforter, stomping over to Kousei to answer the phone for him. He opened his eyes to watch her, shaking his head rapidly.

" _Calling… Father_ "

"Takahiko? He's calling you?"

Kousei reached out to grab it from her hands, but she backed away before he could catch her. She looked at Kousei, who looked as worried as someone could be, but decided to answer anyways. If _he_ was calling, it had to be important.

She pushed open their bedroom door, heading downstairs to where Kousei couldn't hear them. Clicking the green button on the phone, she flicked her head back to get her hair out of the way.

"Kousei! You _finally_ pick up!"

What was Emi supposed to do? Takahiko never liked Emi, or her family. Should she just fake it?

"Kousei, you there?"

"Yes!"

She had panicked. Oh no… She knew Kousei wouldn't talk to him, not after what he did.

"That isn't my Kousei! You must be… Sawabe?"

That was the point where she wanted to just smash that phone on the ground. Takahiko wasn't even around enough to recognize his _son's_ wife.

"Uh, yes. Sir."

Was she going to be utterly rude to him? Or try to be nice to fix their relationship? She did want her child to have multiple grandparents… And since two grandmothers were out…

"Ah, could you try and get the phone to him, please?"

"Sir, whatever you need to say can be said to me."

"It was meant to be a special father-son thing, dear. Couldn't you just get him?"

That was it. He had the _nerve_ to completely ruin Kousei for a month, then say "father-son". He was about to get everything on her mind about him.

Kousei was throwing himself out of bed, going to try distract himself with a ice cold shower. He was interrupted by the loudest " _Excuse me?!_ " He'd heard in a long time.

Slipping out of their bedroom, he sat at the top of the stairs where she couldn't see him. Kousei's eyes were squinted, he having left his glasses in the piano room the previous night, but he could hear her loud and clear.

"You're not going to call him after a year of not even speaking to him and expect to have a 'father-son' moment."

Kousei's chest locked as his heartbeat slowed. What could Takahiko want? If he wanted to say sorry… He shouldn't of called a year late.

A mumbled voice from the phone came, but even then, the sound made both Emi and Kousei cringe.

"You… You're not. You can't. You have no ri-"

She was stopped by his father.

"Then you can expect neither of us to answer the door."

The cat came by, curling up against Kousei. He rolled over on his back, exposing his belly to be rubbed. Kousei was too shocked to even move, only his eyes flicking towards the cat.

His father made loud retorts towards her.

"This isn't even Tsubaki, you hollow-headed jerk. You should be able to recognize your son's wife… But then again, you never even came to our wedding."

Kousei winced.

"Goodbye, Takahiko."

He heard her drop his phone on the counter, leaving a furious echo throughout the house.

The cat blinked up at Kousei, resting his paw on him. Kousei let his hand fall on its back, but all he felt was pins and needles.

Emi made her way to the stairs, but stopped as she saw Kousei.

"I really hate that man."

Kousei didn't respond, simply staring ahead.

"He's coming here, isn't he?"

Emi responded only with a small nod.

Kousei didn't get a wink of sleep, simply staring at the melodica across the room on their dresser. Emi's hand twitched against his in her sleep.

The red light from the alarm clock burned his eyes, the only other light being whatever escaped through the cracks in the curtains. It's like the clock was taunting him, each minute bringing him closer.

By now they were in the same timezone, his flight having crossed that line forty-seven minutes ago. He forced his eyes closed, but the red light still was printed on the inside of his eyelids.

 _One Year Ago_

 _May 19th_

Their group of five sat around a table, at Tsubaki's favorite restaurant. They had just received their food, but already Kousei had been eager to give her the present he got for her.

Kousei was smiling brightly at Tsubaki. "How's it feel to be 23 now?"

With an eye roll, she lightly punched his shoulder. At least, much lighter from when they were kids.

"You're only like, two months older than me. Calm down. You too, Watari. Neither of you have been 23 for that much longer than me."

Watari let out a laugh, his eyes sparkling. "I think I see wrinkles forming on your forehead already."

While she was busy slamming her fists against the table, yelling at Watari, all Kousei could focus on was the door as someone walked in.

Tsubaki noticed Kousei staring the opposite direction, and she found what he was looking at. Apparently, Watari did too.

"Takahiko? What's he doing here?!"

His coat was draped over his arm, tie in his pocket. A waitress came up to ask him where he'd like to sit, but he shook his head once he saw the group.

Tsubaki's mother was about ready to get up and punch him as he slyly ran a hand over the stubble on his chin. He raised that same hand, waving at them.

Kousei turned towards the rest of the group, putting his head in his hands. Watari took it over.

"Mr. Arima-"

"Hello, Ryōta. Sawabe. Just came by to wish Kousei happy birthday."

At this, Kousei looked up from his hands. Tsubaki's father had his jaw clenched. He decided to speak up, now.

"You can't even get your son's birthday right? Or his best friend's?"

Takahiko looked taken back. "Huh? May 19th… I knew it was someone's birthday."

He shrugged, his tie falling out of his pocket. "I got Kousei a gift, anyways. Had to go pretty far out to get this, you know. Think of it as… Just a late birthday."

Kousei had already pushed himself up, fleeing to anywhere but here. Takahiko tried to follow him, but Watari had grabbed his arm.

"Stop it, Takahiko. Just leave. "

His words fumbled over the other. Out of his pocket, he took out a letter.

"He left this at the old house. The real estate company called me, and I had to fly in from the U.K. to get it. He should be thankful."

Tsubaki was glaring at him. "How could he possibly thank you for anything?"

Tsubaki's father had gotten up, going to try and find Kousei. He was leaning against the sinks in the bathroom, rubbing a damp paper towel over his face.

"Tsubaki and Watari are sticking up for you, kid. By now they've probably scared him off to Zimbabwe." He offered a smile, but Kousei's worried look told him to stop.

"Why don't we just go out there? He… He has something for you. You left it at the old house."

Kousei seemed to tense up. He'd left it there, once he got married. He'd already memorized every single word, but he knew he wouldn't be entirely happy if the letter was with him…

Tsubaki's father had his hand on his arm, tugging him out of the bathroom once they got a strange look from someone walking in.

"...cared about him, you wouldn't be such an awful father to him!" Tsubaki yelled at him. Her eyes fell to Kousei, and so did Takahiko's.

"Fine. I guess he doesn't want this, then."

His hand clenched around the letter, before ripping it in half. Then again, and again, and again. The cat sticker fell to the ground, the shreds being thrown on to the table. Takahiko bent down to pick up his tie as Kousei was just standing in horror.

"I read it, you know. Seemed like quite the character. If only you could've had someone like that, instead of Emi…" His eyes glared into Kousei, visual daggers going straight through his heart.

A waitress who had been watching from the shadows walked up to Takahiko. "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave…"

"I was just about to go. No reason for me to stay."

As soon as he left through the doors, it was as if time resumed. Before that, no one at their table had blinked, hardly even breathed.

"Is that from… Kaori?" Watari asked, timidly.

Tsubaki had burned up, her inner demon just on the brink of appearing to beat the pulp out of Takahiko.

Kousei silently picked up the cat sticker from the floor, then sat back down in his chair. "I'm sorry about that, Tsubaki."

His hair held a shadow over his eyes, but everyone could see the red patches appearing on his skin.

 _Now_

Kousei opened his eyes, and once again he red light from the alarm clock burned.

Why did he have to think of that? Now? Now that he was finally happy…

That letter. He'd left it because he knew he wouldn't be able to go on if he always held on to the past… But it still meant everything to him. He wanted it to still _exist_ , just not in his possession. Now all that was left of Kaori was a melodica.

He threw off the covers, grabbing the instrument and practically jumping down the stairs.

Opening the door, he was greeted with the sound of late-night rain. He stepped out from under the entryway roof, letting the rain fall on his skin.

Unzipping the bag to the instrument, he let it fall to the ground. Somehow, the cat had escaped and was now sniffing the bag.

There wouldn't be any pigeons now, of course, but he still played. He played just to play. Just to get the notes out into the air.

The cat made him stop, and look down. He had something in his mouth, that Kousei hasn't noticed before.

A letter.

 **BWAHAHA**. **Yes. I am going to leave you on that cliffhanger. I. Am. Evil. I'd love to see what you guys think is in it.**

 **Anyways, don't expect me to post a chapter a day. Just had a lot of ideas to work with and wanted to get them down before I forgot. But, I will be more active.**

 **Thank you all!**


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